


Separate but Intertwined

by AmayaNoCho



Category: Bleach
Genre: Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Fluff and Angst, Injury, M/M, Mild Language, Showers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-07
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2018-05-05 13:34:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 11,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5377136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmayaNoCho/pseuds/AmayaNoCho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Yumichika discovers that he and Ikkaku are with not only assignments at the same time, but separate ones, he can't help but wish it had ended up otherwise, especially since them separating like this had never been with several days straight doing so like this before. While Ikkaku remains in Soul Society to handle a definite problem, Yumichika leaves with a group of three other reapers whom he doesn't even really know to investigate what could turn out to be absolutely nothing in the human realm.<br/>But is it really just a waste of time, or might it become a huge problem for his considerably-small group? </p><p>Focused on Yumichika's mission, based between Aizen's defeat and Blood Warfare Arc.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"You're going off on a mission?" The bald shinigami nodded. The third and fifth seat of eleventh division were currently standing in the third's room, with Yumichika leaning against the wall near the door watching as the third seat began to pack what he was sure he would need- which wasn't much- for his assignment. As far as either of them were concerned, this was going to be the first longer assignment that either of them was going to be on without the other. The brunette wasn't sure how Ikkaku felt about it, but he definitely felt disappointment about not also being assigned to Ikkaku's task or even able to join it; he had his own assignment to worry about instead. 

"Yeah, but it should be quick an' easy, knowing what they told me. Besides, you outta be fine without me on yours." Yumichika looked away from him to a wall, a pout coming over his lips.  
"I know. How long's yours supposed to last, anyway?"  
"About a day or two," Ikkaku replied, "dependin' on how long it takes us to find and handle the guy." Ikkaku was assigned to find a solo escapee from the Maggot's Nest with some of the second division members. "They give you a time range for yours?"  
"Yeah," Yumichika answered, "sort of. It's more of a time restriction, as we are to observe and attempt to find the source of the supposed problem by the end of a week's time." Yumichika was assigned to go with a small group of three others to the human realm to investigate a report of continuous abnormal Hollow activity occurring within a specified area. As far as he was concerned, it seemed like it was just going to be a waste of time; most of the reports were from reapers who were fresh out of the academy, so the chances of this "abnormal" activity truly being so, in his mind, wasn't very great. "If we don't find anything by then, then it's just going to be wasted time and man power." He would much rather be accompanying Ikkaku on the man hunt, not handling something as arbitrary as this. 

"Yeah," Ikkaku agreed, "it really would be, but that's probably why your group's going to be so small, because of how questionable the situation is."  
"That's what I've been thinking." Ikkaku smirked at the hidden aggravation in the other's tone.  
"Still not happy you're assigned to it?"  
"Of course not! I'm a fifth seat, after all, not an unseated member!" To be assigned to such a task felt insulting, as if either they thought he was fine wasting time on this or as if they were implying he wasn't useful enough for something more important.  
"Bet you're assigned to it in case it actually _is_ somethin' bad," Ikkaku considered aloud, "and they need someone out there who can handle the situation." Yumichika couldn't help but agree, but that didn't change the fact that this was _still_ possibly just a waste of time. "Well, that's it for what I'm bringin'. You packed an' ready for tomorrow yet, Yumichika?" 

"Yes." Ikkaku walked over to stand in front of the shorter male.  
"Hey, try an' lighten up, Yumichika. It's just another assignment, no big deal. Besides, if ya don't find anything, then it's just a week in the human realm. Try thinking of it more as a break from work."  
"Now that you put it that way, I _could_ look into a few things while there." Ikkaku smirked.  
"There ya go! Now, how 'bout we head over to the training grounds, see if I can find a good sparring buddy for a while?"  
"Sounds like a plan."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day, the two went their separate ways, with Ikkaku heading toward second division while Yumichika met with the other three members of his group before going to the human realm. The four were all given gigai and a glove that worked like Rukia's to remove themselves from their gigai rather than the substitute soul pills, as it was pointed out to them that the area which they were going to be investigating was without very many people, much to Yumichika's disappointment, so it shouldn't be an issue to simply have their gigai "seem dead" when they left them.   
Few people meant little to nothing of anything there, so the idea of doing much of anything unrelated to the mission was looking pretty unlikely. It didn't help any that Yumichika didn't really know any of the reapers he was working with, either. 

When the four arrived in the human world, they found themselves standing before the two-story building which was to be their temporary housing for the duration of the mission. At least they had provided a place this time, recalling when Yumichika was part of the small group assigned to watch over the human realm for any Aizen-related activity and they all had to find their own housing. "Well," Yumichika spoke, "here it is." Base. "Two of you scout the area," he continued, "make sure we aren't already with any Hollows nearby. The other should go skyward and spot out any nearby human residences, see how far out we are from anyone and how close the nearest building to get any necessities is." He didn't sense any Hollows, but he knew better than to assume there simply aren't any because of this, and while they were indeed informed that this place was stocked up enough for a week, he wasn't about to simply decide that this would hold true; they could have someone with an unpleasantly-large appetite in the group that wasn't taken into account. 

As the other three followed his orders, Yumichika began to walk toward the building, stepping in casually while keeping track of the others. It seemed simple enough, with the living room being the one he now stood in while the kitchen was through a doorway to his left and a dining room through one he spotted when he walked into the kitchen. The living room had a couch, a chair on both sides of the couch, a coffee table in front of the couch, a simple fan for its lighting on the ceiling, and a television set up so that one sitting on the couch or either chair could watch it comfortably. The kitchen had a fridge with a small freezer on it, hemisphere-style lighting with four bulbs in it on the ceiling, a rectangle table with a chair at each side of it, a stove with an oven under it, a microwave, a rack with pots and pans hanging on it, cabinets above the stove and the sink beside the stove, a good number of things for cooking... Seemed it was definitely ready to be lived in. When he checked the fridge and freezer, both were well-stocked, which could easily be said about the cabinets, too. "Hope none of these three turn out to be big eaters," the fifth seat muttered to himself as he closed the fridge and made his way to the dining room. 

The dining room was definitely simple in its setup, with a rectangle table with six seats, with one on each short side and two on each longer one, the same sort of lighting as the kitchen, a couple windows to Yumichika's left, and a doorway that led outside across from him while one to the living room was to his right. When he returned through that doorway to the living room, he spotted a door that, once opened, was found to lead into a bathroom. The stairs to go to the second floor were also in the living room, which he now decided to go up them.   
Up there, he found a main room with a couple chairs and a table in it that had the four bedrooms on each side of it. "Easy setup to remember," he noted to himself, "having the bedrooms up here and the other necessary rooms all on the main floor." When he entered one bedroom, he found a closed door in there that led into a bathroom that was connected to one of the other bedrooms. So, he thought, a bathroom with a shower, toilet, and sink in it to be shared between two... Least it wasn't a single bathroom for all four. That was a dreadful thought to consider. 

Each bedroom had a bed, dresser, and desk with a chair. Not much, of course, but it was good enough for a week's stay. He placed his things on the bed of the bedroom he was currently in before stepping out of it, sensing that one of the other three was now returning while he walked down the stairs. "The nearest place to do any sort of shopping," he reported, "is a good ten miles out from here." Yumichika didn't like the sound of this, but he wasn't about to concern himself over such a small inconvenience.   
"Glad the kitchen is so well-stocked, then," Yumichika commented. "Seems it's all set and stocked for a little over a week's stay, so long as no one has too large an appetite."   
"That's nice." Yumichika nodded.   
"Bedrooms are upstairs, by the way. They're all with the same setup, so just pick one of the remaining three and unpack."   
"Right." As that man went upstairs to do so, Yumichika sat himself down on the couch in the living room with a small sigh. If only he had Ikkaku to talk to, or at least _someone_ he knew from eleventh. Hell, he didn't even know the names of these three, let alone which division any of them were from. The most he knew was that none of them were from twelfth, so at least he had _that_ comfort, given the strong rivalry between eleventh and twelfth. 

When the other two returned, they reported no nearby Hollows before Yumichika informed them of the same information as he had told the other man before, leading to these two now heading upstairs to unpack as well. Yumichika stood himself up and followed, returning to the room his stuff was in to also unpack. When he heard the bathroom door open, he looked over to see one of the two guys who had done the Hollow check now looking into his bedroom. "Seems we're gonna be sharing a bathroom," the man commented with a friendly smile, "from the looks of it." His brown hair was short and somewhat messy while his eyes were a deep green. He seemed to be about Ikkaku's height, just being a tad shorter than the third seat of eleventh while a bit taller than the fifth seat. "Name's Kenji, by the way. I'm from fifth division."   
"You would be skilled in kido, then," Yumichika commented, "from what I know of your division." Kenji nodded. "I'm Yumichika, fifth seat of eleventh." Well, he thought, at least this guy's not repulsive or a recluse... He seemed alright, from what Yumichika could tell so far.   
"Guessin' me an' my kido aren't somethin' you'd be too impressed with, then," Kenji said with a bit of a nervous laugh, "knowing how your division is." Yumichika shrugged. 

"I honestly don't give a damn if you're a kido user or not," he replied, "so long as you do what you need to for the mission and do it well."   
"Never thought I'd hear an eleventh member say that." Yumichika smirked.   
"We aren't all like Zaraki in how we think, mind you."   
"Definitely not at all the same in how you dress, either." Must be used to seeing eleventh division members just going with the uniform and not caring about appearance in the slightest.   
"Course not! These uniforms can be so _dull_ on their own," Yumichika spoke, "which isn't at all very appealing." A big reason why he added to it.   
"Yeah, you're definitely _not_ the usual eleventh member, talkin' about it like that." Kenji didn't seem at all to be making fun of this, but instead seemed more interested and a bit amused. "Oh, but I best get back to unpacking! Nice talking to you, though, fifth seat."


	3. Chapter 3

When the second day came, Yumichika stepped himself out and looked around at the forest area in which the building was within. He wasn't quite sure _what_ to do while they were out here, especially with actual society such a far walk away. He gave a sigh before deciding to walk further into the forest, wanting to survey the area for himself now while he had the free time. They had the potential of ending up fighting out here, after all, so to take this chance to evaluate it could be to his advantage later on.   
They were all in their gigai today, so rather than wearing his usual uniform with its added accessories, he was wearing a long sleeve purple shirt with white pants and sandals, his feathers behind his ears, and a simple silver necklace. He had the glove he was given in his left pants pocket, just in case anything occurred. He had to make sure he was ready, after all, especially if the reports really were worth any consideration. 

As he got deeper into the forest and further from the building, Yumichika couldn't help but notice certain details here and there that were definitely off. A few trees here and there were down, something one would normally expect, except that some of them looked to have been violently chopped down, with some splintered roughly where they had been severed while others were much too cleanly cut, as if downed by a practiced sword. He traced the deep cuts within the bark of several of the trees, imagining now Hollow's claws as he did so.   
There were also portions of the ground that seemed to have had dirt moved into them, as if one was trying to fill in deep holes of some sort. Upon further inspection, he was sure these deep "holes" could have actually been made by Hollows, but why would someone have gone to the trouble of filling them in? Surely they would want for the evidence to be available to other reapers to prove that yes, they were here? With the nearest humans being so far from here and apparently not interested in coming out here, from what they had been told, it shouldn't have been an issue to leave them. 

There were also dark stains here and there, ones Yumichika was sure were dried blood. Definitely hadn't rained in too long, then... There's evidence of combat with Hollows here, he thought, but was it abnormal activity, or was it all simply combat with them? It happened, after all. He didn't sense any, so it seemed everything was safe here, for now.   
What had they been doing out here, though? Hollows fed off of souls, after all, and there hadn't been any humans out here when the attacks had occurred, according to the reports. The markings in the trees, however, along with the filled footprints and blood all pointed toward the presence of Hollows having been here. Why had they been out here? Had the reapers they attacked somehow attracted them here as opposed to them going after the humans? But if they were truly after the reapers, surely they would've known that attacking the humans would have gotten the reapers to come to them, knowing that it's part of a reaper's duty to protect humans from Hollows? Knowing the hunger of a Hollow, it would've been wiser to attack the humans to at least get a soul or two out of that before a reaper came after them. 

This just didn't seem right... "Yumichika?" The fifth seat looked over his shoulder to see Kenji walking toward him, those green eyes curious as they looked around the forest a bit more before focusing on Yumichika. He was wearing jeans, black tennis shoes, and a simple white t-shirt. "Didn't expect you to end up out here."   
"Wanted to take a look around here," he explained, "get a better idea of our surroundings just in case those reports are really worth investigating this."   
"What do you mean by that, exactly?"   
"If they turn out to be so, then we're likely to end up in combat out here with Hollows, so it would be to our benefit to know our surroundings better than just simply that there are a bunch of trees out here."   
"Gotcha." Kenji returned to looking around them. "It looks like there's definitely been at least a fight with one out here," he commented. 

"Yes, it does." He was definitely going to make sure to report this to the other two once he returned to the building, given Kenji now had seen it for himself, so no need in waiting to tell him about it later. "It also looks like someone tried to cover it up, that a battle between a reaper and Hollow happened here at all, or at least the part about a Hollow having been here."   
"Why do you think that?" Yumichika pointed toward one of the possible footprints.   
"The footprints appear to have been filled in, as if they were once deeper, but someone had wanted them to not be seen."   
"That's odd..." 

"It's likely someone is involved somehow with the Hollows that were here, and involved with them in at least a manner of siding with them and against us."   
"That's _definitely_ worse than just abnormal Hollow activity..."   
Yumichika looked from one of the scratched trees at Kenji now. "We should return to the house and report this to the other two, make sure they're made aware of this."


	4. Chapter 4

After the two had returned, Yumichika had informed the other two about their findings, making sure to explain just what he had seen out there along with his thoughts, from the suspicions about no human involvement to the filled footprints. After that, the four had all gone out to further investigate, finding several areas within the forest that had signs of past combat while also keeping their guard up in case any Hollows showed.  
With no signs of any Hollows, Yumichika called them all back to the house, deciding they had done enough of that for the day. 

The next day, Yumichika woke to the unpleasant smell of something burnt. "Oh, for Soul King's sake," he muttered tiredly, "don't tell me..." He got himself slowly out of bed before simply going downstairs in his lilac pajamas, covering his mouth with one of his hands as he yawned. His braid wasn't even done yet, but he currently wasn't too concerned about it, given he knew he looked fine with it done or not done.  
"...shouldn't have even tried!" The voice, he recognized, belonged to the guy who had mentioned he was from fourth, a tall man who was brunette and with grey eyes. Shinya was his name.  
"Well," another replied, the man from eleventh whom Yumichika only knew was newer to their division, "with fifth seat always having done the cooking thus far while we've been here, I thought, ya know, maybe I could do it instead, at least for breakfast today." He sounded a bit embarrassed, but, given the smell, this wasn't at all surprising. He was with a far-from-appealing bowl cut, deep brown eyes, and was a tad shorter than Yumichika, the only one here not taller than him, but was well-muscled.  
"Goodness, Kenta," Shinya sighed, "you could've at least asked for my assistance." 

"Yes," Yumichika spoke from the doorway, startling them both, "you really could have." The other two had never seen him like this, tired wisteria eyes watching them after having just woken up while the side of his silky brunette hair that was grown out to be longer wasn't braided. Even despite this, he was still gorgeous enough to be compared to a sought-after woman. "Whole house is going to smell like burnt food now," he remarked tiredly, "though dare I even ask what it is that was burnt?" Burnt food, he knew, had a tendency to become trash soon after as opposed to even being considered edible because of its usually-horrific taste.  
"E-Egg," Kenta stammered, "I tried to fix an egg, fifth seat." Yumichika wasn't quite sure if the color in their cheeks was from the embarrassment of discovering he had heard them, embarrassment from the burnt food Kenta had made, or some other reason, but he was much too tired still to honestly care what the reason was.  
"Well, try a bit to see if it's any good," he replied, "and if not, trash it. Not all overcooked food's unedible." 

"O-Of course!" Kenta was swift to pick up one of the four forks set on the counter before carefully using it to cut a bit off the burnt egg now sitting on a plate and popping it into his mouth. Shinya and Yumichika both watched him, waiting to hear the results of this. "Seems alright," Kenta admitted, "b-but not as good as your eggs, fifth seat." Yumichika wasn't quite sure why he had decided to even add that last part, but at least the verdict was good.  
"Then that one's yours, Kenta," he replied, "and if you're wanting to cook breakfast this morning, I suggest you have Shinya here help you with doing so." He didn't know if Shinya was any good at cooking, but the old saying did state that two heads are better than one, so perhaps his assistance would help to prevent another egg from getting burnt? "I'm going back up and taking a shower," he decided aloud before going to the stairs to do so. 

Luckily, Yumichika returned to the main floor after showering, changing into a light blue short-sleeved shirt and jeans, and braiding his hair to find that the rest of the eggs prepared were indeed not burned. Kenji was now also down there, so the four had breakfast together, though Yumichika couldn't help but notice how often eyes went to him. He honestly didn't mind, given he knew he was always a preferred sight over most things and honestly all other people in the room he was in.  
After breakfast, he went to stand at a window in the living room, looking out curiously while focusing his senses, checking for any Hollows that may be out there. "Is something wrong, Yumichika?" His wisteria eyes spotted Shinya now walking toward him.  
"Just checking for Hollows."  
"You seem quite focused on the mission." Yumichika shrugged.  
"Well, an assignment's an assignment," he replied, "and besides, I could really go for something to do other than waiting around for them." He could honestly go for a bit of combat right about now, whether it was one of the other three who fought while he watched or if he himself took on the enemy. It was something he was sure was caused only slightly by being in eleventh and mostly by Ikkaku. 

Even before they had become reapers, he always enjoyed watching his companion fight, watching Ikkaku's eyes become so fierce in combat as he eagerly took on any challenger and challenged anyone whom he considered to be strong. Yumichika always did like watching the other and seeing him so full of life like that, as if the fire of battle brought him back to life every time, like a phoenix renewed from flame, and never did he mind cleaning and patching him up after, as this was always an excuse to feel that rough, slightly-tanned and well-toned body under his pale, smooth hands... 

"Yumichika?" His long-lashed eyes blinked as he was suddenly brought back to the current moment, back to standing at the window with Shinya on one side of him while the one who had spoken, Kenji, was now on the other side of him, with no sign of Ikkaku's presence to be found.  
"I-I'm sorry," he spoke quickly, "did you say something?"  
"Shinya had asked if you wanted to go look around again," Kenji replied, "see if there's anything else out there."  
"Not right now, no." Yumichika swore internally about having let himself do that, letting his thoughts trail off like that while these two were right here. "I think I'm going to wait until after lunch for that, actually."  
"After lunch would work," Shinya decided. Yumichika walked over to the couch now, deciding he may as well sit and try to relax in the meantime. It was only the third day, yet he was already having trouble keeping his mind off the other. Ikkaku's probably back at eleventh now, he thought, knowing how he said his assignment would probably only last a day or two.  
Yet he was still here, waiting for something to happen or the week to end.


	5. Chapter 5

When the fourth day came, Yumichika walked somewhat half-mindedly, still tired, into the bathroom that morning to find Kenji in there at the sink, having been doing something possibly involving the mirror before he looked now at Yumichika. "Good morning, Yumichika." Well, he thought, this is a first. Usually Yumichika didn't have to do any sort of waiting before he showered, but with Kenji in here already, that was about to change. "Sleep well?"  
"Good morning," he replied. "Yes, I did." He went to sit on the toilet, since the lid was down and he was going to have to wait, anyway. "Seems you did as well?" Kenji nodded.  
"Yep!" Kenji suddenly decided to walk over to the fifth seat, stopping to stand in front of him. Please no, Yumichika thought tiredly, don't come over here... I'm waiting for you to finish up and _leave_ the bathroom. I am definitely _not_ here for a chat. "So, uh... How'd your little walk with Shinya go yesterday?" Yumichika raised an eyebrow at him while his expression remained looking either tired or bored. 

"It was alright," he replied, "though nothing new was found or anything eventful happened." By this point, he wasn't holding his breath.  
"Well, I guess that's a good thing, right? At this rate, we'll just have to wait out the rest of the week and then return to Soul Society."  
"I'd rather something happened so that we can handle it and go back sooner," he admitted, "and not have to stay here any longer than what it would take to handle the issue."  
"Is it because there's something you're wanting to do when you get back, fifth seat?" What? "You've seemed a bit out of it since yesterday, like you've got something on your mind." 

"Would you mind leaving the bathroom, Kenji? Not meaning to be rude, but I came in here to shower and try to wake up, not sit here talking to you."  
"Oh, of course! Sorry about that!" After he left, Yumichika stood himself up and turned the shower on before he began to undress, relieved that the other male hadn't tried to insist on an answer to that question. He didn't need anyone here knowing about it, anyway. As he stepped into the shower, the warm water felt like a welcome comfort on his pale skin, running down it with ease as he let out a long sigh. At least here he could just relax and think about whatever he wanted, not having to worry about the other three asking questions or trying to get his attention. 

This lasted at least a good ten minutes before the bathroom door leading to Kenji's room opened. "Yumichika!" The fifth seat gave a small jump at the sound of his name, startled and unsure of what to do about there now being someone on the other side of the shower curtain. "Hollows have shown outside!" Oh, for Soul King's sake, he thought irritably, Shinya!  
"Take care of them, then," he barked out at the fourth division male. "Surely it shouldn't be difficult!"  
"No, Yumichika, you don't understand! There's a large group of them, and they're all coming this way!" Shit, he thought, why now! "They're showing no interest whatsoever in the humans, too! They're _definitely_ aiming to get to us!"  
"Fine, fine! Just get out and try to handle them the best you three can while I finish up in here!" What did he think he was going to do, leave the shower and fight those things nude?! As if! "I'll join you once I'm out and ready to!"  
"Got it!" After he heard the door shut, Yumichika stepped out to quickly dry himself off before getting dressed and ready. After that was handled, he went to lay himself down in bed before putting the glove on and removing himself from his gigai. He leapt through the wall with ease as he tracked down where the other three reapers had gone and began to make his way to them, ready and eager for battle. If this was what they had been waiting for, then maybe they didn't have to remain here for a whole week after all. 

When he got over there, to his dismay and shock, there really _was_ a considerable number of Hollows, and they even ranged in types and strength levels, too. He could tell from his comrads fighting several of them that there were ones that fought using ranged attacks, close-combat, a combination... Heck, they were even cooperating with one another, oddly enough. He even sensed out now that one of them somewhere in that crowd was a Menos, specifically an Adjucha, given a Gillian would have stuck out immensely while a Vasto Lorde would surely have killed at least _someone_ before he had even gotten here. No, there was an Adjucha hiding in that group somewhere... 

Perhaps the Adjucha was somehow leading the rest of them, somehow in command of the rest of them and thus ordering them to take out reapers? Recalling how the arrancar had worked, having had a hierarchy of their own with stronger ones leading weaker ones of their choice without question from the weaker ones, there was a possibility of it.  
Yumichika released Ruri'iro Fujaku under the false name he had come to call his zanpakuto for so long before charging at the crowd of Hollows, letting out an angry cry as he did so, catching a good number of Hollows' attention as he swiftly leapt at the mask of the nearest one, slicing down the mask with ease and thus taking that one out within an instant.


	6. Chapter 6

"This isn't going well for us at all..!" Yumichika had a hand resting on his chest as he leaned against what remained of a building, trying to catch his breath while attempting to figure out something, _anything_ , that could be done to turn the tables to be in their favor. The Adjucha was definitely becoming more active in the battle, having not only opened a hole to Hueco Mundo to allow other Hollows out, but it turned out to have taken out at least _someone_ , though Yumichika couldn't quite tell who.  
He winced as he glanced around the bit of old stone at the battle, a trail of crimson going down the left side of his face while he held his injured left arm. The battle had only gone downhill after he had taken several Hollows out and was then attacked by one that was definitely of a ranged sort, having been sent flying by that before he had re-entered the battle. He was wearing down now from all of this, and he knew the other two were, too. 

He needed to request reinforcements, and quick. "Thought you could hide from me, Reaper?" His wisteria eyes widened as he tried to look at the speaker unsuccessfully, the opponent landing a swift punch at the side of his head and sending him off through trees. When he touched the ground, the air was knocked out of him before he went rolling. Yumichika's vision was reduced to spots as he laid there, coughing viciously while also attempting to breathe.  
"Surprised you're even still alive, Reaper. Quite impressive." His head was spinning while he tried to get himself up on his elbows, yet it was to no avail. "Seems you're in quite a nasty state from my attack, but that is still quite impressive..." If he had said anything more, Yumichika hadn't heard it, losing consciousness as he went down to the ground.

*

"..chika! Yumichika, wake up!" He could hear a familiar voice shouting at him, yet he couldn't quite get his own thoughts straightened out enough to even put a name to it. "Dammit..!" He heard an unpleasant screeching nearby. "C'mon," they insisted, "wake up!"  
"I... Ikkaku..?" He just barely got his right eye open to see the concerned third seat who was currently holding him while several others were fighting off Hollows. "Wha..."  
"Thank goodness, you're alive!"  
"The... The others..." Yumichika tried to sit himself up before giving a sharp gasp and ending up remaining in the other's arms.

"Seems Kenta was barely even able to request backup before he went down," Ikkaku replied in a tone that left Yumichika feeling unsure. "You're the only one who's left of your li'l group, Yumichika."  
"Tha... No..." That couldn't be..! His mind suddenly went back to the moment he had gone out, back to the Adjucha speaking to him. How was he even still alive? Surely that guy was about to take him out? He felt so tired...  
"Hang in there, Yumichika." Easier said than done... Ikkaku stood himself up, causing pain in the brunette he was holding from the motion, a short gasp escaping Yumichika. He was pretty sure he hadn't been in such pain before he had gone out, and he had been closer to that hole to Hueco Mundo, too... Had the Adjucha decided to continue to beat him before he was going to kill him? "I'll get you to fourth." 

"The Hollows," he argued, "you... You should be helping..."  
"Not about to go over there when you're out here like this, Yumichika. Besides, they've got this handled-"  
"He's _my_ prey!" Yumichika's eyes widened as he recognized the voice of the Adjucha shouting out at them in rage. _"My prey!"_ Ikkaku leapt out of the way just as the Adjucha slammed down hard at the ground where he had been standing. Ikkaku carefully set the fifth seat down before unsheathing his blade. Noticing there weren't any other reapers nearby, he decided to first go into shikai before bringing out his bankai, aiming to take this guy out quickly so as to both protect Yumichika and get him to fourth as quickly as possible.  
"You _wish_!"


	7. Chapter 7

"What are you _doing,_ Yumichika?"  
Who..?  
"Who else would be in your head like this, hm?"

Ruri'iro...  
"Lying around useless on the ground like you are, leaving the fighting _all_ up to Ikkaku, now?" An obvious and disappointed sigh came from the zanpakuto. "Thought we were trying to pass off as eleventh division material, right? What happened to that?"  
What..?  
"Oh, don't tell me you've forgotten already the situation we're in now, Yumichika! I've heard going out does that sometimes, but something as big as this? You know, big Hollow hoard, all your other group members dead, the Adjucha _Ikkaku_ is now fighting, and in _your_ place, too!" 

Shit, that's right..!  
"Sure, you're a mess right now," Ruri'iro remarked, "but surely it doesn't take much to say my name, point me toward it, and take that Adjucha down with shikai?"  
Yumichika recalled now the pain he had felt, how such small movements had felt like newly-received stab wounds. But he had fought before with a broken arm, after all, and won that fight, and he could use his shikai to fix himself up and avoid a trip to fourth altogether...  
"Then what're we waiting for, hm?"  
Ikkaku, though... He'd see it, see me use my shikai, and he'd know- 

"So what, then," Ruri'iro barked, interrupting his master's thoughts, "are we seriously just gonna lie here on the ground and just play the damsel in distress for Ikkaku to save?! You'd rather just lying here, waiting to be saved, and then getting carried off to fourth to be wrapped up and have to wait out the healing process?!"  
But if Ikkaku saw-  
"I thought you wanted to come out to him after this mission anyway," Ruri'iro reminded him angrily, "come clean about _all_ of it! About my true powers, about why you joined eleventh with him, because-!"  
I know, I know!  
"Then why not now, hm?" The zanpakuto sounded calm now. "Why wait? Can show him what I can do now and explain later. Besides, I'd much rather we act now than just lie around until it's handled to face lying around bandaged after this, and I'm sure you feel the same about that, right..?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So after a good while and some real life to deal with, finally adding more of this one onto here. I've still got more to go for what I've typed up to post for this one, but hopefully I'm not gonna vanish on this one again like I did there, sorry about that


	8. Chapter 8

Yumichika opened his eyes a slit's worth, fighting the fatigue he felt the best he could. To his relief, he was still lying on the ground where Ikkaku had left him, so there was definitely a good chance that he'd been left alone, unlike earlier. 

When he spotted Ikkaku and the Adjucha above him, it was difficult to ignore that there were a good number of other Hollows there now, too, fighting alongside the stronger one against Ikkaku. They must've shown up before Ikkaku had really been able to get serious with the Adjucha, knowing how Hozukimaru is... Yumichika held Ruri'iro tightly in shaking hands as he lifted his arms upward while remaining lying on his back on the ground. "Split and deviate," he spoke with a newfound determination, "Ruri'iro Kujaku..!"   
Ikkaku wasn't quite sure what to make of what he had just heard Yumichika say, recalling that he'd only ever heard him refer to his blade as Fuji Kujaku, until he saw the vines grabbing one of the large Hollows who was part of the group he had been dealing with. "Yumichika..?" What is that..?   
"I'll explain later," the fifth seat forced himself to shout, "but the Adjucha, Ikkaku!" The third seat gave a nod while the strange vines began to glow. Not counting the caught and struggling Hollow, there were still eight more of them left from the group that had come over, then the Adjucha, too, for a total of nine. He had been able to take out a good number of them thus far, but it wasn't easy to focus on any of them while the Menos was here, let alone focusing on the Menos while the others were here.   
Even if it was kido-based, what Yumichika's zanpakuto was doing, it was looking like a good way to try to make this battle faster, which meant getting the fifth seat to fourth division sooner. 

"Still alive down there?" The casual question came from the familiar voice of the Adjucha; there was no doubt about it. "Just have to fix that-"   
"You're _my_ opponent," Ikkaku shouted, "not his! Quit hiding behind these other Hollows and fight me!" While the flowers bloomed from the energy being drained out of the captured Hollow, Yumichika focused on his teammate, watching as the third seat fought against the Hollows who surrounded him, which seemed to easily be the response of 'no' from the Adjucha.   
It looked like Ikkaku had received a few scratches here and there, but was overall fine. 

Yumichika would've tried to aim for the Adjucha, but it seemed that familiar fire was burning in the third seat now, that eagerness to take down the strongest opponent here, the one who'd give him a one-on-one worth his while. I'll assist with getting these others out of his way, Yumichika decided to himself, leave the Adjucha to Ikkaku. Now that Yumichika was awake, it should allow Ikkaku to be able to focus more on the Hollows around him, so taking out the weaker ones shouldn't be an issue for them. 

As Ikkaku finished taking down two of the Hollows, Yumichika was relieved to see the flowers had come into full bloom now, and the Hollow had gone from slowed struggling to being completely still, drained of their energy. After Yumichika carefully took one of the flowers off a vine, they all began to retract back to his zanpakuto, leading to the once-held Hollow falling to the ground below Ikkaku and the other Hollows around him.   
Yumichika brought the flower to his lips, getting one of its petals into his mouth before raising his weapon again to aim at one of the remaining Hollows. The pain was still there, along with the shaking, but now that he had gotten a flower off that Hollow, that wouldn't be a concern for too much longer. 

As another Hollow was caught by those glowing vines, Ikkaku focused his attention now on the Adjucha. Just five more Hollows now, he thought, and then that one... Should be a cake walk now. "Seems your li'l group's really been worked down now," Ikkaku commented with a smirk, referring to how much larger it had started out to be, before Yumichika had regained consciousness. "You ready to face me one-on-one yet?" 

That strange ability... The Adjucha looked down now at Yumichika. Despite the danger he and his comrades were in earlier, he chose not to use this sooner... Why would someone with such an extraordinary ability wait to use it until now, until after most of their comrades are gone and even they themselves were almost killed..? His friend here was quick to use his strongest ability to protect him, too, it seems...   
"Isn't a one-on-one," the Adjucha replied, "when you've got someone down there with such dangerous range..." Ikkaku's smirk vanished at the sound of that, but he wasn't given a chance to fully respond to that as the Adjucha was suddenly gone from his spot.


	9. Chapter 9

Yumichika was quick to catch the punch aimed at his face that the Adjucha had attempted, surprising the Hollow at not only how swiftly he had reacted, but with how his wounds were now seemingly all gone, even if the blood remained. His spiritual energy even seemed to have replenished while the Adjucha was focusing on Ikkaku, as if Yumichika's prior state had never happened and the blood on him was someone else's, despite that it was his. The hand which had caught the attempted punch was firm in its action, even, as if it hadn't been giving him any issues just a moment ago. 

"Yumichika!" Ikkaku fought off the other five Hollows' attacks with ease now, taking out two of them with one swing before blocking another's attack with his other blade. With the Adjucha down with the fifth seat now, while he didn't have to worry about them throwing in attacks among the other Hollows' for the moment, he now worried Yumichika was in danger. 

"You just can't seem to stop surprising me," the Adjucha whispered, "Reaper." The Adjucha now had his other hand beside the shoulder of Yumichika's arm that was holding his zanpakuto, keeping him from getting away from the Menos. Now that Yumichika was this close and getting a better look at him, his mask reminded him of what he'd seen of the top half of a horse's skull, but with large white horns protruding from it, just above the eye holes, and with all the teeth of the masks' being canines. The green intricate designs above the teeth were small, delicate-looking ones, like what one might find on fine art, perhaps a decorative vase. His body was a deep red in color, the color of blood, two white plates covered each of his triceps, the bottom of each being what could create blades for him to use, and he definitely had a good build to him, his arms having bulk to them from strong muscle underneath. Both hands had white claws on every finger and both of his thumbs, and his Hollow hole was right over where his heart would've been. "It's like you're just _begging_ for a torturous death by my hands."   
With him this close, it was difficult to ignore his words, let alone try to keep watch of the third seat, but Yumichika knew without even looking that Ikkaku was fine. With so few Hollows left, Ikkaku would be fine. 

"Would only be polite of me if I were to give you that," the Menos whispered threateningly, "and best for both of us."   
"Get off-" Yumichika took in a sharp breath as he felt a sudden pain in the shoulder of his arm that was holding Ruri'iro, bringing him to glance toward it to see the Adjucha had really grabbed at it now and had sunken a good inch of his claws into it.   
"At this point, I don't care if your bald friend up there kills me, just so long as _I_ kill _you_..!" With one swift movement, the Menos closed his claws deeper into Yumichika's shoulder, piercing through his shoulder blade and eliciting a sharp cry from the fifth seat. 

Despite the sudden onslaught of pain in his shoulder, he forced himself to keep a shaky hold of his weapon. The flowers were nearly fully bloomed now, and the Hollow Ruri'iro Kujaku was holding had stopped trying to struggle or even move. "Whether or not you kill me," Yumichika replied, "so long as he kills you, I don't care."   
"Oh? That so?" The Adjucha pressed his held fist into Yumichika's hand that still held it, pushing to get it just slightly closer to the fifth seat's face. So he _does_ seem to care about that man up there, then, the Adjucha thought, or else just has a dangerously-strong sense of duty... If the caring feeling is there, and it's mutual, the man above was likely to have reacted to that pained cry, and is likely to be worrying about this one. "The way you're fighting back, it's hard to tell," he teased, "as it _almost_ seems like you're trying to live..!"   
"I never said... I was aiming... To lose..!" 

When the flowers were in full bloom and the held Hollow was dropped, Ruri'iro's vines receded back into the blade. Yumichika was about to try to bring down Ruri'iro Kujaku at the Menos when his bloodied claws were quick to tear out of Yumichika's shoulder, spilling out and flicking blood as he grabbed Yumichika's wrist. Yumichika winced at the pain while biting at his bottom lip, trying not to cry out. "Thought you might try that," the Adjucha whispered with amusement, "but, as I had hoped, it seems that was much easier to catch for me than my punch was, I'd bet, for you."   
With his shoulder injured like this, that comment was a pretty easy one to agree with, but he wasn't about to do so aloud. Yumichika could still force himself to use that arm, but his position was definitely the unfavorable of the two's, and his shoulder wasn't doing too well.


	10. Chapter 10

"Hey, Adjucha!" Ikkaku? "That isn't how ya fight someone, pinnin' them to the ground like that! Besides, like I said earlier, I'm your opponent, not him. Now stand up and face me!" The Adjucha glanced over his shoulder at the third seat. Persistent, that bald one... 

"Seems you've taken those remaining few out now," the Adjucha commented, "though it does pain me to admit to how unsurprising that is..." The grip on Yumichika's wrist tightened before he felt the two bloody claws closest to his hand dragging slowly across his wrist to stop halfway across it.   
"Yeah, the ones who came over here with ya have all been defeated," Ikkaku remarked, sounding bored of the topic, "so how about you stand up and fight me already?" Clearly the Adjucha's avoidance of direct combat with him up until this point had him wanting the chatter done with and the fighting going.   
"Oh, I will," the Adjucha replied, "after I handle this reaper so he doesn't get in the way." 

"You try anything, Hollow," Ikkaku spoke threateningly, "and I'll kill you before you can even _begin_ to stand yourself up, let alone kill him..!"   
The Adjucha chuckled. "How bold," he mused, "to threaten me like that, as if you're in a position to do so!" Before Yumichika could speak, the Adjucha had swiftly moved so that he was now standing while holding Yumichika by his lightly-bleeding wrist, which meant more pain for his injured shoulder. It was as if he could feel gravity itself weighing down on him now, and his grip on his zanpakuto was weakening as a result.   
"Yumichika!"   
"Oh? Does this truly bother you, Soul Reaper?" Yumichika gave a grimace of pain when the grip on his wrist was tightened.   
"Put him down, Hollow..!" 

"I cannot help but wonder," the Adjucha continued to speak with amusement, "if you would be so concerned about him if he was someone else? Are you really so soft, Reaper? Or is he somehow special to you?"   
_"Coward!"_   
"Tell me, what's one death compared to ten, Reaper? Hm?" Yumichika reached up to grab at the clawed, bloodied hand that held his wrist, wanting desperately to get out of this position, the pain clouding his thoughts as his shoulder moved when he did. "What's one single death to a hundred? A thousand?" He was already holding Yumichika high enough to have his feet a good few inches away from the ground, yet he decided now to lift him up to be farther away, as if emphasizing both his height over the fifth seat, to be able to get him a whole foot off the ground so easily like this, or as if to emphasize just how much control he now held over the situation, over Yumichika. "Surely to you reapers losing a single man isn't such a big loss..? You all die to us so often, after all, right? Just like how we do to you all-" 

Before he could continue, Ikkaku leapt at him, catching the Adjucha off-guard as one of Ikkaku's blades sunk into the Adjucha's shoulder of the arm that was holding the fifth seat. "Wha-!"   
"Enough _talking_ ," Ikkaku growled angrily as he shoved the blade further into the shoulder, bringing out a pained howl from the Adjucha as he lost his grip of Yumichika. "Or did ya run outta actual _bite_ already?!" 

Yumichika's relief to stand on the ground again was short-lived, if it had even lasted long enough to be considered there to begin with, as his mind focused swiftly on the pain once again, bringing him down to his knees. It felt like his arm was done for... _"I'll kill you-!"_ The Adjucha's cry was one of pure rage.   
"Yumichika, get outta here!" Before he could try to argue with the third seat, an entrance back to the Soul Society made itself visible behind the fifth seat. As he forced himself to stand, Yumichika watched as Ikkaku stopped the Adjucha's uninjured arm from reaching out to grab Yumichika, blocking that clawed hand with his free blade. 

As much as he wanted to, he knew if he stayed, he'd only be in the way at this point, especially with the state of his arm and the dizziness he was starting to feel from blood loss. He didn't want to admit it, that he'd only be in Ikkaku's way, but with his shoulder like this, and how much blood he'd already lost...   
Yumichika reluctantly turned to face the way back, to see the hell butterfly fluttering over to him from it, before he forced himself into the open path.


	11. Chapter 11

When he stepped out into the always-familiar Soul Society, it wasn't long before Yumichika had made his way to fourth division, with some reapers noticing his arm along the way. He was sure his appearance was in a bit of disarray in some other ways, too, like his uniform not being in the best shape now and his hair not being so great, either, but he needed to get over to fourth for his arm, for this horrid pain that he couldn't stop thinking about. 

After he had arrived at his destination, the members of it were quick to get him into a room, seated, get his uniform's top out of the way (though it was definitely soaked at his wounded shoulder, so really that was handled only as quickly as such a removal could be done), and begin to treat the wound. Despite how clear to him their actions were, their words seemed to escape him, as it all just seemed to happen so fast to him, though the blood loss and pain definitely weren't helping that.   
"Yumichika?" The familiar voice came through clear, however, causing him to look at the fourth division captain as she now stood herself at the doorway.   
"Lady Unohana." She gave him a gentle smile.   
"Seems your mission turned out far more eventful than expected, I heard."   
"You've... Already heard about it?" 

"Seems twelfth was exceptionally fast on this one," she replied. "Captain Kurotsuchi had intentionally volunteered one of his own men to be positioned over in that particular area after the first incident so that he could get a better eye on it. That member was lost, unfortunately, but observation was started." This didn't come as a surprise to Yumichika, that Kurotsuchi had sacrificed that member for observation purposes, and he could tell it didn't surprise the medical division's captain, either. Mayuri wasn't known for being a caring sort of captain, after all, but had a reputation for his willingness to sacrifice for his studies' benefit. He'd even put himself in harm's way at times if it meant he could get information to further his studies. 

"He was watching the main bulk of it," she continued, "though it seems after you were sent off with the Adjucha from the main area the battle was in, he lost sight of you. Just as he was going to make a report after that, the call came in for assistance." Of course he wouldn't be in too big a hurry to report the issue, Yumichika thought, given that'd mean other reapers coming in and hurrying the battle to its end, which would thus mean the same for his observation. "The oddest thing, however, is that Ikkaku had become quite impatient to go over there before that happened today."   
"Really?" Unohana gave a light nod.   
"Seems he had been just fine since he had returned from his mission," she continued, "but he was unusually antsy today, before the request even came in. He tried to request permission to leave for the human world before the request, a good time before it, even, but his request was denied, since his motivation to do so was simply on a hunch, from what anyone could make of it, or else just him wanting to join you on your mission. He was ordered to remain here in case he was needed elsewhere as a result." 

So he had picked up something was wrong, or going to be, then? "When..?"   
"From Kurotsuchi's estimates, and looking at when exactly he made the request, seems if he had been permitted to leave, he would have left a few minutes after the battle had started and arrived a few minutes before the hell butterfly with the request for backup had been initially sent."   
"That's..." Unbelievable? Impossible? Unreal? He wasn't even sure how to describe it. Maybe it really was just coincidence?   
Unohana gave him a small smile as she tilted her head a bit to her right. "Seems if Madarame ever requests to leave to where you are out in the future, we should perhaps listen, hm?"


	12. Chapter 12

Unohana left soon after her comment regarding Ikkaku, so after his treatment, Yumichika had opted for sleep. It wasn't like he had anywhere to rush off to soon, considering that now that he was back from that mission, he'd have to work on a report and get that in, not go off on another mission. The report didn't, as far as he could tell, need to be done right away, anyway. He'd wait to see how Ikkaku was first, wait until he returned from his battle against that Adjucha, before writing up a report. Ikkaku would be fine, after all; he just knew it. 

When he woke, it was from the sound of the door opening slightly, causing his wisteria eyes to focus on that. Yumichika could tell who it was before he had even become visible. "Ikkaku?" The third seat had some cuts on him, but he seemed to be walking alright, and neither of his arms were in a sling.  
"Good to see you're awake," Ikkaku commented as he stepped himself in, closing the door behind himself. He was relieved to see Yumichika seemed fine, besides the one arm of his, and wasn't still in the wreck of a position he'd found him in over in the human world, but he wanted to know how. Sure, he saw those weird vine-like things that had come from whatever-color Kujaku, Fuji or Ruri'iro, whichever was the right one, but was that all it'd taken, just Yumichika getting someone in those vines' grasp and he could fix himself up? How did that work? What even was that, too, his weapon's true shikai, or something else regarding his zanpakuto..? 

"Good to see you won," Yumichika replied with a bit of a smirk at the left side of his lips, "and you're doing alright."  
Ikkaku brought the one chair over from the wall to sit beside his teammate. "Yeah, though speaking of doing alright, what... What was that out there?" Yumichika's smirk was gone, despite that he had already picked up on the other's curiosity and had deciphered it for himself. He knew this was coming, but he was still nervous about how Ikkaku would take the truth about Ruri'iro Kujaku, and about how he'd take learning that, despite how honest Ikkaku had been with Yumichika all these years, Yumichika had been lying to him at least since he had learned his zanpakuto's name, and at least since he had learned to use kido. "I've only ever heard you say 'Fuji Kujaku' for your zanpakuto," Ikkaku continued, "and it'd get more blades and that was it. Out there, though, you said 'Ruri'iro', and it didn't just do its usual thing, it even grabbed those Hollows and... What was it doing..?"  
Yumichika looked down at his hand that was lying on the blankets, ignoring his slinged arm for the moment as he clenched at the blankets. He had been planning to do this soon, anyway, but he still felt completely unprepared to tell him... 

After what Ikkaku had seen, however, he couldn't just leave him in the dark like this. He'd been so open and honest with him all these years, too, that it felt as if the only secrets between them were the ones Yumichika held, those few which weighed so heavily on him when he considered this. He even told Yumichika about his bankai, despite his fear of being seen as weak for having it by their captain if anything ever happened and Zaraki found out...  
"He was draining them of their spiritual energy, Ikkaku." Ikkaku's eyes widened a bit.  
"What?"  
"My zanpakuto, his name, it... I use the name 'Fuji Kujaku' to irritate him, to keep him from using his full power, what his true name brings out, because... Because he's actually a kido-type zanpakuto, Ikkaku." Yumichika looked away from his teammate. It felt like- no, it _was_ \- he had voiced his greatest shame to him, to his closest friend. He could be voicing it to a crowd and the feeling would weigh just as heavily upon him, or else less, but he was sure it wasn't over yet, especially when no reply came straight after from Ikkaku, leaving him feeling forced to go on on his own.  
"He hates shades of purple, but his favorite color is a blue, azure, his true name, and so he takes offense from being called 'Fuji' instead... Those vines, they drain spiritual energy and bloom flowers which can be consumed to heal using the stolen energy. When the flowers are in full bloom, the target has been drained of their energy, and the flowers are ready." 

It all made so much sense now. When Yumichika had returned unscathed after facing Lieutenant Shuuhei, despite their seating difference, and when they all had to face those Fracciones, and he had apparently also come out unscathed then, Ikkaku was told, only unconscious by the time he saw him because of Izuru handling him when he'd apparently panicked over him, over Ikkaku.  
"I... I also know how to use kido, and am able to do so decently..." Now that that weight was out in the open, may as well try to get it all out. Chances are the silence from Ikkaku was him registering the prior news, so may as well let him get it all in and considered together and not drag it out on him. 

This was honestly unbelievable, to think that Yumichika's zanpakuto was actually a kido one, and then that. Why was he in eleventh, then, and not fifth or some other division that would prefer a kido user and allow him to be able to fight properly with his weapon? He joined eleventh with him knowing they don't like kido, but why..?  
Joined with him, with Ikkaku... "Yumichika?" The brunette looked toward him now somewhat reluctantly, unsure of what he was going to see. He was surprised the taller man didn't seem even slightly angry or upset; he looked more confused and curious. "You and I, we... We've been together since before we ever even met Zaraki outside the walls. Maybe longer than most others have known each other here, right?"  
"Yeah..." The way Yumichika said it, it seemed as if he was feeling cornered now, unsure of what may await him if he took the wrong step with his words. He didn't want Ikkaku to hate him, especially not when that one thought, that one secret, still remained to be spoken. 

"Did you join eleventh because of that? Because I did?" Yumichika could've tried going to any of the divisions that use kido, yet he went to the one single division that frowns upon kido use and kido-based zanpakuto, and right along with Ikkaku. It sounded like the only reason that made sense to him, for Yumichika to make such a decision that would both restrict himself and leave him in a risky position.  
There was a moment of silence between them before Yumichika responded, his gaze back down at his unslinged arm's hand. "I..." It felt as if the very words he wanted to speak were choosing to remain in his throat and choke him instead of come out, but he needed to do this; both of the kido-related secrets were already out now, and this is what remained. "I joined eleventh not just because of you and I knowing each other so long, Ikkaku." 

"Then why?" Ikkaku felt confused, especially seeing how the other's cheeks had actually gotten a touch of new color to them, a bit of a pink, like someone had said just the right something that was just slightly uncomfortable around him. If it wasn't because of how long they'd known each other and how well they got along, then why?  
"I joined eleventh with you 'cause I... I wanna stay with you, Ikkaku." The third seat wasn't sure what to make of this, especially since that sounded like his assumption was still possibly the correct one. "Because I... I like you more than just as a friend..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Oh." The word came out of his mouth before he could even really consider it. 'More than just as a friend'? "So, uh, like brothers..?" He felt unsure now, throwing that out mostly to just see what'd happen, see if perhaps a 'yes' would come of it.   
Instead, the third seat got a flustered Yumichika going from clenching the blankets to shoving at his shoulder, clearly frustrated at that response. Yumichika also ended up flinching from leaning on his recovering arm, something Ikkaku didn't want to see.   
"No!" Yumichika was now looking him dead in the eyes, his cheeks feeling a bit warmer now. And to think he'd been hoping that would be enough to get through to Ikkaku! 

Ikkaku was relieved that that shove hadn't been too hard, especially considering the chair he was sitting in wasn't bolted to the floor or made with heavy front legs. He was also relieved that he had seated himself close enough, too, so Yumichika didn't accidentally fall out of bed from doing that. "Ok, ok, not like brothers!"   
Yumichika gave a short, exhasporated sigh before going back to laying on his back instead of his arm. "...Hopeless..." Ikkaku raised an eyebrow.   
"What was that?" Yumichika had muttered those words, but he was pretty sure he knew what the word was that he'd missed.   
"You're. Hopeless." Yep, knew it. Yumichika was definitely frustrated with him now. Ikkaku smirked. 

"Right," he replied with a touch of sarcasm, "and yet _I'm_ not the one stuck with an arm in a sling in fourth." Just as he thought, that got Yumichika looking back at him again, clearly about to comment or make a retort to that, but Ikkaku moved to catch those soft lips with his before the response could come, his left hand moving to lay beside the fifth seat's waist while the other went to his cheek. After the 'not like brothers' question he'd asked was confirmed as wrong, he was more than sure this was what the pretty brunette had meant.   
Otherwise, he was sure the fifth seat would be aiming to punch him soon. 

It wasn't surprising Yumichika had stiffened initially from that, considering there was no warning and it was completely unexpected, but he relaxed after a moment, even getting more into the kiss.   
"Better?" Yumichika smirked at the third seat's question. Their lips were still close enough when he asked that Yumichika could feel Ikkaku's breath on his lips.   
"For now," he decided, bringing his index finger up between their lips reluctantly now that he felt reitsu approaching the door. "Seems someone's coming our way, though," he commented with a touch of disappointment. Ikkaku took the hint and re-seated himself in the chair by the bed, glancing toward the door while Yumichika leaned back again. 

"Glad to see you are awake now," Unohana commented gently as she stepped into the room with the two eleventh division members.   
"Yes," Yumichika replied, "thank you."   
"I apologize for being abrupt, but it seems they are wanting a report from you soon, Ayasegawa." Yumichika rose a brow. Already? "Something has caught Captain Kurotsuchi's attention, it seems, and so the captains are wanting a full report on everything as soon as you can get that written out for us."   
"I could start that today, then."   
She gave him a gentle smile before looking toward Ikkaku. "As for you, Madarame, it seems you have been requested to join a team to Karakura soon."   
"Karakura? Really?" It had been a while since anyone had been sent that way since Aizen's defeat, besides that guy who was stationed there, what's-his-name.   
"Yes. It seems something has been going on over there as of recent which has been brought to our attention, and may escalate soon. A team is being made and readied for when it does." 

"Well, sounds like that could be fun," Ikkaku replied eagerly. "I'm up for that." It was tempting for Yumichika to speak up and ask about himself, but his slung arm told him otherwise. Besides, that would have been rude, and he had that report to write up.   
"I shall let the others know, then. If you two shall excuse me." After she left, Yumichika gave a small sigh.   
"Seems I'm left with the more daunting task once again," he remarked.   
"Least it won't take four days to finally finish this time."   
"Hopefully." He didn't know what it even was that had caught the captain of twelfth division's attention, which meant he'd have to make sure to go into strict, precise detail about everything he could that happened throughout the four days, knowing that psycho.   
Ikkaku stood himself up from the chair. "From what she said, guessing someone's gonna come in here soon with stuff for you to work on that report."   
"Probably..." There was no doubt in his mind that that was going to be the case. 

"You know, she did say that your upcoming assignment is still being readied," Yumichika tried, "and it's just paperwork for me, over one mission..." Ikkaku smirked before bending down to kiss the brunette once more.   
"I gotta get back over to eleventh, in case Captain needs me to do anything there. I'll come back later, 'k?"   
"You better." Yumichika's voice was soft when he spoke. He wanted to leave with Ikkaku, but there was a good chance Unohana wasn't going to let him go so soon, what with how bad his shoulder had ended up being and with his paperwork having become an apparently-urgent matter for the captains.   
Besides, not much had been happening since Aizen; she could easily spare the room to Yumichika for a bit. Zaraki was probably not going to be in any hurry to get a member with a slung arm back, either, even if Yumichika was the one who did the most work in regards to eleventh's paperwork side. _Someone_ had to keep things organized and nice around the division, after all, especially when the captain and lieutenant were more "fun (their differing definitions of it, anyway) comes first" for things.   
Soon after the third seat left, as they both had expected, a member of fourth entered the room with what Yumichika would need to write up his report on what had happened. 

Ikkaku still had some time to wait before that mission, but it seemed Yumichika's current one, so to speak, had just arrived.


End file.
